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Low box office totals this weekend once again begged the old chicken-and-the-egg question: Does Hollywood release its second-rate movies in the dead of winter because business has slowed to a trickle, or does business slow this time of year because of the substandard movies? At any rate, the lackluster slate of new releases provided easy targets for critical skewering.

Two more Christian critics jeered the pothead comedy Next Friday, which took the box office crown despite losing almost half its business. Movieguide criticized the movie not only for its offensive content like "marijuana use, laziness and sexual immorality," but also for displaying almost no sense of comic timing." The U.S. Catholic Conference likewise felt that "the cast squeezes out nothing but cheap laughs from the thin material."

Rookie entry Down to You also performed below expectations, taking in less than half of the debut of She's All That, last year's similar young-adult romance that also starred Freddie Prinze Jr. Maybe the over-used formula hurt the newcomer; Down to You was characterized as a "cookie-cutter film" that wraps up all the loose ends too predictably by the U.S. Catholic Conference. Mary Draughon of Preview was more disappointed with the movie's implication "that a casual attitude about sex is universal," since the main characters' long wait for sex "makes the couple something of a novelty among their friends." She finds a small measure of nostalgic worth in the movie, saying "anyone who remembers their first love will find much to smile about." The Catholic Conference, on the other hand, felt the film "romanticizes the thrill of first love."

Since there are no new reviews this week on the story of Rubin Carter's wrongful imprisonment, I'll share my take on The Hurricane. This impressive film falls short of greatness by refusing to trust its audience to understand the systemic racism that put Carter behind bars, instead inventing a racist, corrupt cop for viewers to detest. With the lines of good and evil so clearly drawn, the story feels removed from a reality where the two mingle in each heart. It's a credit to Denzel Washington's performance that the movie still works; his nuanced portrayal of Carter lets us understand the interplay between love and hate in his heart, at least. Carter begins his sentence trying to kill desire; he finds it too painful to want what the prison can take away from him, so he learns to desire nothing. I recognized this tactic, having used it often to content myself with the way the world is instead of listening to my passions to change it. It hurts less that way. But at its core The Hurricane is about what happens next: Carter risks his isolated contentment in order to befriend a young man who writes him. He allows both love and pain a chance to break through his walls. On this level, the film is an encouragement to keep my heart open and my desires alive.

Two new reviews took differing views on Stuart Little, which most Christian critics have found fun and family-friendly. Childcare Action sided with the majority, calling the movie a "positive influence" and suggesting that it could have easily been rated G. The story of a mouse who is adopted into a human family is, in its opinion, "efficient at showing how even though one may not like or may even hate a family member, one can still show love and compassion for and tolerance of the undesirable member." But Hollywood Jesus was somewhat less enthralled. Editor David Bruce acknowledged that the film "speaks to the issue of family harmony," but said it was just "not the most moving film I have ever watched." He notes a downside of depicting "the perfect type of family that many want"—most will find such perfection "difficult to achieve."

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January (Web-only) 2000, Vol. 44